If a man has his conscience removed there is not even a cynic left. Boredom can only be filled with a new religion, and the more stupid a one, the better. Irony is only a narcotic for the privileged. You must add one thing yourself to what you have learned; a breath, just a breath of originality. Politeness is the surest form of contempt. There are two possibilities: either you know nothing, or you know everything. Children see time as an eternity. Careful when you climb the ladder. The tree is contained in the nutshell. You haven't grown happy on your victories. I have had to swallow lack of tact by the jugful. It isn't a picture; it's an anecdote, and it has the further disadvantage of being true. Ephemeral things alone are (were) permanent.